Report: Björk and Dirty Projectors [New York, NY; 05/08/09]

*The last time I saw a full-fledged Björk show, on her Volta tour at Madison Square Garden, the singer was showering 18,000 people with copious amounts of confetti while backed by earthquake rumbles. On Friday night, she played to about 300 people at Housing Works Bookstore Café in downtown Manhattan backed by the acoustic stylings of Dirty Projectors. Aesthetically, the two moments could not be more different, though they were equally memorable. Björk has range.

The one-off gig, curated by Pitchfork contributor and Stereogum senior writer Brandon Stosuy, was a benefit for Housing Works, an organization that fights AIDS and homelessness. The headlining act was a never-before-heard six-song suite written by Dirty Projectors' David Longstreth and performed by the Projectors (sans drummer Brian McOmber) and Björk.

It's safe to say that Longstreth is in some sort of rarefied artistic zone right now. Though the suite was apparently written over the last few weeks, the new songs-- half featuring Björk on lead vocals-- were as exacting and impressive as most of the eagerly anticipated new Dirty Projectors album, Bitte Orca. Going along with his current whale theme, Longstreth said the new material was inspired by an "imagined moment" when DP singer-guitarist Amber Coffman "saw a whale and the whale saw her" near California's Mount Wittenberg. (He playfully dubbed the suite Mount Wittenberg Orca.) And if all that doesn't seem fitfully Björk-esque, I don't know what does.

The environment was surreal-- it's weird to see Björk in a bookstore. But it was even weirder to look around and see David Byrne, M.I.A., Kieran Hebden, St. Vincent, and some guy in a medieval cloak just hanging out near the Literature section. (Big-haired Battles dude Tyondai Braxton partially blocked my view, but it was cool.)

But once Björk opened her mouth, she was the only star in attendance. While the Dirty Projectors' four-pronged vocal attack-- Longstreth and Coffman, along with Angel Deradoorian and Haley Dekle-- is impressive in its intricacy, Björk's vocal power is more of a physical feat; her swooping style is just impressive, full stop. Several of the new songs had a peppy, childlike feel, as if they were soundtracking the coolest kindergarten assembly ever. After that disappointing collaboration with Timbaland, it seems like Björk's collaborative sixth sense is back. The quickening opener was particularly stellar-- it's the catchiest Björk-related tune in years.

So is there a chance that anyone aside from the night's lucky 300 attendees will get a chance to hear high quality versions of these new songs? While there's no official word yet, the show was professionally recorded. For now, Youtube will suffice.